An inflammation of the middle ear with a collection of liquid in the middle-ear space. When the liquid is thick and sticky, it is colloquially referred to as ‘glue ear’. It often results in conductive hearing loss, with an average hearing loss of about 20 dB, but it may reach 50dB. The signs and symptoms of acute ear infection are absent and there is no perforation of the tympanic membrane, and nor does the child appear to be sick (although it is usually triggered by a bout of upper airway tract infection). Rare in newborns, it is most common between the ages of one and six years, with the prevalence at two being about 20% and decreasing to about 8% by seven to eight years. Some 80% of children will have one or more episodes of OME. It is more common in boys and during the winter months, in those subjected to daycare and with parents who smoke.
See Persistent middle-ear effusion, Prevalence, Tympanic membrane